Matrimonial Advertisement in Newspaper – How to Write and Publish Ads?

What is a matrimonial newspaper advertisement?

A matrimonial ad in the newspaper typically includes age, educational qualifications, profession, income, religion/caste along with email or phone number of a person looking to get married.

While matrimonial advertisements in newspapers are popular in India, marriage classifieds did not originate in India!

Some of the earliest ads for brides were seen in England and the US.

In the 19th century, matrimonials ads in newspapers were widely published. These ads were usually from men looking for a bride. This is was considered to be a great alternative to find a match especially if the man was new to a place and did not have any social network. Women also used newspaper ads to find a husband.

Mimi Mathews, the author of books such as The Pug Who Bit Napoleon: Animal Tales of the 18th and 19th Centuries and A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty, has published matrimonial ads from the 19th century in her blog post.

Via mimimathews.com

Even then, matchmakers were busy hunting for customers!

Here is an ad published in Omaha World Herald, in January 1900. This ad is from a matchmaker looking to sell his database of brides and grooms.

Matrimonial Advertisement in Newspaper – Cosmopolitan Template

The word ‘cosmopolitan’ means “familiar and at ease with different countries and cultures’. It also means cultured, refined, and mature.

Cosmopolitan matrimonial ads are typically advertisements that only ask for a broad match without specifying expectations around height, caste/religion, skin colour or any other detail (such as horoscope match)

Well-established, Delhi-based, Rajput, 35 years, 6 ft, CEO of IT company seeking a well-educated bride with a broad-minded, pleasant personality. Caste no bar. Email profile to matriproj18@gmail.com

Template of a newspaper matrimonial ad for second marriage

Matrimonial ads are for second marriages are similar to ‘cosmopolitan’ ads as they often mention fewer ‘demands’ from either side. That doesn’t mean they are fair. Some of the ads have one-sided demands, especially those from the grooms!

Irrespective of which ad format you choose, you will be shown a screen where you have the option to select a newspaper.

Times of India belongs to the Times Group and you can choose to place an ad in any of the group’s publications.

Now choose the locations you want to definitely include.

Finally, select the ad package. Package prices will differ based on the number of lines of text you can write as well as the cost of additional lines of text.

Now click on the red “Compose Ad” button.

Step 3: Compose the ad

First, select the basic category. Whether you are creating an ad for a groom or for a bride. Then select the secondary classification that’s based on the profession, marital status, residence status (NRI), disability, religion, and caste.

Directly type the ad in the “Compose Ad” text area so that you avoid the chances of adding special characters that may not be printed correctly.

You can choose “Standard” or “High” under “Ad Visbility”. Choosing “High” will underline your ad and make it stand out from the other ads.

Now you can select the date when you want your ad to show up and then proceed to payment. The total approximate cost of your ad is shown before you make the payment.

Step 4: Preview and payment

Before making the payment, you can preview your ad as you will see it in print.

Here is how the preview will be shown.

If all of these steps seem difficult, you can also call them and place the ad via phone.

The numbers to call are 98107 64650 and 98109 86140.

Click here to download the latest rate card for placing a matrimonial ad in Times of India and it’s associated regional newspapers/publications.

The above rate card also has detailed add-on costs for additional ad options.

In addition to printed paper, Times of India Matrimonial ePaper is also available online for everyone to access free of cost.

The Hindu Matrimonial Ads

Phone Cotact: 1 800 3070 0404

Email Contact: inetads@thehindu.co.in

The Hindu Sunday Classifieds is popular among the well-educated, English-speaking audience. The matrimonial classifieds section is also published on Sundays and you can book an ad using their online ad booking application.

There is no rate card and the pricing is based on the number of characters and number of lines.

Step 1: Select “Matrimonial” classifieds ad

First, select the “Matrimonial” option from the list of classified ad types and select either a text ad or a display ad format.

Step 2: Select the newspaper

Hindu has three options to choose from:

1. The Hindu -English
2. The Hindu – Tamil
3. BusinessLine

Step 3: Compose and preview

Now select the relevant categories – “Week-End” and “Matrimonial” if you have selected the Hindu. For BusinessLine alone, you will see “Week Day” as the option to select.

Now select the sub-categories and groups where you want your ad to be placed.

The subcategories are first to identify whether your ad will show up in Brides Wanted or Bridegrooms Wanted sections.

Additionally, you can select a category that is based on region (language/location/State), profession, marital status, cosmopolitan, physical disability.

Now compose the ad in the text area and choose to bold certain words or change the background colour of the ad.

You can now preview the ad as it appears in the newspaper as shown below.

If you have selected display ads, you can upload your own ad in a PDF format. The guidelines for creating your own display ad is as below.

There is no option to compose a display ad in the Hindu matrimonial classifieds.

Step 4: Schedule your ads

Now select the dates when you want your ad to be published. You can publish your ad any number of times!

Step 5: Payment summary and payment

Finally, you get to see your payment summary before you move to the payment gateway.

You can get in touch with the Hindu ad booking team by calling their toll free number 1800 3070 0404 or submit the online form that opens up when you click on “Get in touch” on the right side of the screen.

Mathrubhumi classifieds: Matrimonial

Phone Contact: 0495-2362000

Email Contact: online@mpp.co.in

First published in 1923, Mathrubhumi is a popular Malayalam language newspaper. The newspaper also publishes in major metro cities as well as the Gulf to cater to the Keralites who are living outside Kerala.

The second step would be to compose your ad. The newspaper can publish your ad in English or Malayalam. Malayalam text can be composed elsewhere and copied into to the text area.

Mathrubhumi recommends composing the ad in Malayalam using Google Input Tools. Once the ad is composed, you can add a headline for an additional fee.

Once the headline and the ad is complete, you can either select an ad package or select the editions in which the marriage classifieds ad will be published.

Finally, select the date or dates on which your ad will be published.

A few more points to note:

1. You can pay an additional fee to highlight certain words in bold.
2. Mathrubhumi will not publish your ad if you include your profile ID from matrimonial sites such as Shaadi.com or Bharatmatrimony.com.
3. You need to upload a Government approved ID proof (PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, Drivers License, Voter ID).

Mathrubhumi’s matrimonial classified rate card is published online. You can find it here.

If you need support, you can email online@mpp.co.in.

Manorama matrimonial classifieds

Phone Contact: 94962 62000

Email Contact: mmclassifieds@mm.co.in

Malayala Manorama is one of the oldest regional language publications in India. First published in 1988, Malayala Manorama is a leading newspaper and magazine in Kerela. They also publish in Hindi (Vanitha) and English (The Week).

You will need an account with Malayala Manorama to create your matrimonial ad. You can sign up using your social media credentials or by using your email.

You will be asked to verify your email address and phone number so please make sure you use a valid email address and phone number when you create a new account.

Once you verify your contact information, you are prompted to provide your address as well!

Step 3: Choose ad delivery option

Malayala Manorama gives you three options to choose from:

1. Print only ad
2. Online only ad
3. Print and Online ad

Select an option. We selected the print-only option.

Step 4: Select text or display ad

Now, select either a text ad or a display ad.

Step 5: Composing text ad

Composing text ads is based on templates available. Select a template and you can fill in the blank boxes as per the template. You cannot change the format once a template is chosen. You can choose to leave it blank or you can change the content completely in a subsequent screen.

In the next screen, you have the option to change your content or even type the content in Malayalam using the Google Input Tools.

Once this is done, you can choose to add a headline for an additional cost, include special symbols to attract attention, choose the publications, dates, and calculate the total cost of your ad. The preview of the matrimonial ad is also displayed on the same page.

Finally, you are asked to upload ID proof before you can make the payment.

If you choose to go for display ads, Malayala Manorama gives you two options.

1. You can compose the display ad based on a couple of templates they have.

2. You can upload a display ad you may have created as long as it meets their publishing guidelines.

If you need help, you can email Malayala Monorama at mmclassifieds@mm.co.in or call +91 9496262000

Indian Express Matrimonial Classifieds

Indian Express is a well-known English language publication that now publishes in Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi and Bengali.

They do not have direct online booking option. You can use third-party service providers like releaseMyAd or Ads2Publish.

You can also call visit the local Indian Express office to book an ad. However, if there are multiple local offices in your city, you will have to first figure out where the booking can be done. This might require multiple phone calls as this information is not easy to get even from their office!

Essential tips for your matrimonial advertisement in newspaper

1. Make sure your contact number or email address is correct. A mistake in any one of these is money down the drain.

2. Keep a separate email id and telephone number for matrimonial ads. You never know who will call you or email you.

3. Use the email address to share details about the bride or the groom. Example, create an email address such iyer32nri@gmail.com to indicate your caste, age and location.

4. While you may want to save money by using abbreviations, please do not forget the purpose of the ad i.e to maximise responses. Don’t go crazy with abbreviations.

5. Pick the right newspaper for placing your matrimonial ad. Don’t publish your ad in a newspaper if the readership base doesn’t include the kind of matches you are looking for!

6. Consider placing the ad in regional languages as well. Remember, your ad could be seen not only by the prospective match’s parents but also by their relatives.

7. Make sure your ad is reasonable and not funny. The last thing you want is your ad being listed among the craziest matrimonial ads list!